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UN Human Rights Council rapporteur urges Belarusian government to release political prisoners

 

The Belarusian government should unconditionally release all political prisoners, Miklos Haraszti, the UN Human Rights Council`s special rapporteur on Belarus, says in his report on the situation in Belarus.

The UN Human Rights Council will consider the report during its next session, which will take place in Geneva between May 27 and June 14.

“The situation for those deprived of their liberty, particularly well-known political prisoners, is of deep concern,” the report says. “Their conditions of detention, combined with the allegations of physical and psychological pressure that they face, can be seen as amounting to ill-treatment or even torture.”

Mr. Haraszti recommends the Belarusian government to remove “impediments to the active engagement of non-governmental organizations and opposition parties in political life and the even-handed application of the rule of law; advance the work of the parliamentary working group on the death penalty, release comprehensive information on those executed to date, and establish an immediate moratorium on the use of the death penalty with a view to its permanent abolition.”

Mr. Haraszti also recommends that the Belarusian government “review and adopt clear and explicit legislation that is in favour of holding peaceful assemblies, ensure in practice the facilitation and protection of peaceful assemblies, and recognize spontaneous assemblies in law and in practice; amend legislation and practice to ensure that associations may be established through a process that is simple, easily accessible, non-discriminatory and non-onerous, or free of charge.”

He calls on the government to “protect human rights defenders and journalists from harassment, intimidation and violence as a result of their activities, and conduct prompt, impartial and thorough investigations, prosecution and punishment of any such acts.”

Mr. Haraszti stresses that Minsk should “increase efforts to ensure the full implementation of the recommendations laid out in the reports of the International Labour Organization.”

Mr. Haraszti notes that he not been able to visit Belarus because Minsk does not recognize the mandate of the special rapporteur on Belarus and denies him an entry visa. Belarusian opposition politicians, civil society activists, human rights defenders, and journalists had to travel abroad to meet with him.

The UN Human Rights Council restored the position of the Council`s rapporteur on Belarus in July 2012, much to the displeasure of the Belarusian government.

Mr. Haraszti, a Hungarian politician, was appointed special rapporteur on Belarus on September 28. // BelaPAN